The Contribution of School Quality Assurance for the Improvement of Instructional Practices in Secondary Schools in Zanzibar

Abstract

The study investigated the contribution of school quality assurance in the improvement of instructional practices in secondary schools in Zanzibar. While employing a convergent parallel design, the study involved 167 teachers, 12 Heads of Secondary Schools, 11 External School Quality Assurers, 2 District Education Officers, and the Regional Education Officer, totalling 193 participants. Data were collected through interviews, documentary reviews, and questionnaires. Data were analysed through pie charts and content analysis. The results  indicate that although ESQA plays a significant role in improving instructional practices in secondary schools, it was found that the  respective authorities did not work on the ESQA reports and recommendations. The results also indicate that ESQ assurers had  inadequate knowledge and technical competency in instructional supervision. It was again found that ESQ assurers used unfriendly  language to the Heads of Schools (HoSs) and teachers. The results indicate that the ESQ assurers were few and the budget for ESQA was  insufficient to enable them to perform their work efficiently and effectively. It is concluded that ESQA plays a significant role in the  improvement of the quality of education and thus the ESQA Department needs to be strengthened by providing financial resources and  relevant training programs to the ESQ assurers for effective monitoring of the quality of education provision in the country. The owners  of the schoos and responsible authories need to take immediate actions upon receiving ESQA reports to achieve the desired impact in   secondary schools.